Series: Republican deities – Diana
Reference: Crawford 383/1

Gens and moneyer: Claudia / Tiberius Claudius Nero
Year and mint: 79 BC - Rome
Obverse: Draped bust of Diana, right, with bow and quiver over shoulder. Border of dots. S C
Reverse: Victory driving a biga, right, holding a palm branch and reins in her left hand and a wreath in her right. Border of dots. TI CLAD TI F / AP N

Grade: FDC 3.89 g - 5h
Provenance: Numismatica Ars Classica 2026

Comment:
The gens Claudia was one of Rome’s oldest and most powerful patrician families. Its various branches included the Claudii Nerones, to which the moneyer belonged. One of its most celebrated members was Gaius Claudius Nero, consul in 207 BC and victor over Hasdrubal Barca at the decisive Battle of the Metaurus.

Tiberius Claudius Nero served as triumvir monetalis around 79 BC and is regarded as an ancestor, possibly the grandfather, of the future emperor Tiberius.

The denarius was minted during Sulla’s dictatorship, following years of civil wars and political conflict. Rome was living with the consequences of the proscriptions and undergoing a profound reorganisation of its institutions, intended to strengthen the Senate’s authority and restrict the power of the tribunes of the plebs.

The obverse depicts Diana, goddess of the hunt and the wilderness, with a quiver over her shoulder. As protector of forests and animals, she was also associated with the Moon and regarded as a guardian deity of women and childbirth. Her cult had a long tradition in Rome, and one of her principal sanctuaries stood on the Aventine Hill.

The letters S C, Senatus Consulto, indicate that the issue was struck by authority of the Senate. On the reverse, Victory drives a biga while holding the palm branch and wreath of triumph. The scene has been associated with the victories of the moneyer’s ancestors, particularly Gaius Claudius Nero’s defeat of Hasdrubal Barca at the Battle of the Metaurus.